Credentials

Additional Expertise

I Practice in

My state/province only

I AM FLUENT IN

English

Login or Register if you want to send a private message to the Expert.

I Believe

Coming Soon

About Tristan Coopersmith

Born curious and questioning, with a natural propensity towards intentional listening, empathy and a desire to help, I believe I was born to work in the healing arts. Fascinated by our human capacity for growth, and with a strong commitment to my personal therapeutic work having risen from the ashes of my own challenging experiences, I thrive connecting interpersonally with the stories that make up the people I am privileged enough to work with in my practice and consider each session a unique opportunity to make a difference. I also consider my job a lot of fun… that’s right… therapy isn’t just a box of tissues… I like to laugh while we grow.My personal interests include being a mom, baking (and licking the beaters), sunset meditations, vintage clothing, writing and 80s movies.

EDUCATION & TRAININGI received my Bachelors of Arts in Communications from University of Washington. My undergraduate work led to a decade of compelling work in human behavior research in the corporate trend sector. Ultimately I was called back to the academic arena and received my Master’s in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University.The majority of my professional training has been completed at Manhattan Beach Community Counseling Center. Working in community mental health has afforded me countless opportunities to work with a varied population including children, adolescents, adults, couples and families with a range of presenting challenges such as depression, anxiety, divorce, relational struggles, infidelity, self-esteem, stress management, parenting, disordered eating, impulse control, codependency, and loss/grief. My passions lie in working with women, adolescent girls, couples and parents.

PRESSI have been featured on several radio shows including Dr. Drew’s Loveline and in many print and online publications such as Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Woman’s Day, YourTango, JDate and AOL.

AFFILIATIONSI am a current member of the following organizations:American Psychological AssociationCalifornia Association of Marriage & Family TherapistsPsi Chi: The International Honor Society in Psychology

Tristan Coopersmith Success Stories

Young divorcee finds new love

Women newly dating

Steph married her high school sweetheart (yeh, it still happens). They went to different colleges but remained faithful and married right after graduation. Low and behold it didn't work out. They found each other growing into very different people that although adored each other's 9th grade sensibilities weren't on the same page as adults. So Steph found herself at 27 dating for the first time.more

Steph had to learn dating 101. She literally had no idea how to date because she never had. She needed the basics from how to dress for dates (so I did a complete wardrobe analysis for her) to how to flirt (so we went to bars and I showed her) to the dos/dont's of first date conversation (so we role played) and beyond to every topic you can imagine (when/how to follow up, managing expectations, dealing with sex, rejection, analyzing her experiences and so on).

Eventually Steph learned to love her single life and learned that her now ex-husband was a far cry from the type of man she wanted/needed in her life. She is engaged now to an awesome guy planning to get married in the summer!

Exhausted looking for love

Single women

Joanna was simply burned out from dating. She felt like she had dated enough and she should have found "him" by now... so "Where was he?" She always thought. Well Joanna recycled her life habits the way commuters recycle their routes to work - same ol, same ol. So it is no wonder that she was getting the same unsatisfying results.more

Let me show you a little bit closer: Joanna's daily routine typically consisted of going to work, grabbing drinks with friends at their neighborhood bar or going to the gym and closing out the night with a tabloid mag or some must-see TV. Her weekends usually included a little overtime at work, dinner and a movie with friends and another visit to the neighborhood bar. Perhaps a visit to see mom and dad on the other side of town too.

First I reprogrammed Joanna's dating attitude to help reignite her excitement for the possibility of falling in like and in love. I learned about her dating past and why her attitude was negative so that I could course-correct it. We turned her previous experiences into something more positive so that didn't feel defeated by them, but rather empowered.

Then I introduced Joanna to the Algebra of Dating - the idea that to get different results you have to change a variable in your equation. Jointly we put together a plan for Joanna to more or less go get more of a life so that she would instantly expand her dating marketplace. She joined a yoga class, adopted a dog and explored new bars. She also committed to going out at least 3 times a week.

I also helped Joanna build an online dating existence on two different sites and managed the process with her.

Joanna is now fruitfully dating. Her energy for it is re-engaged and she is now the one organizing girl's night out events with her friends!

Exhausted looking for love

Single women

Joanna was simply burned out from dating. She felt like she had dated enough and she should have found "him" by now... so "Where was he?" She always thought. Well Joanna recycled her life habits the way commuters recycle their routes to work - same ol, same ol. So it is no wonder that she was getting the same unsatisfying results.more

Let me show you a little bit closer: Joanna's daily routine typically consisted of going to work, grabbing drinks with friends at their neighborhood bar or going to the gym and closing out the night with a tabloid mag or some must-see TV. Her weekends usually included a little overtime at work, dinner and a movie with friends and another visit to the neighborhood bar. Perhaps a visit to see mom and dad on the other side of town too.

First I reprogrammed Joanna's dating attitude to help reignite her excitement for the possibility of falling in like and in love. I learned about her dating past and why her attitude was negative so that I could course-correct it. We turned her previous experiences into something more positive so that didn't feel defeated by them, but rather empowered.

Then I introduced Joanna to the Algebra of Dating - the idea that to get different results you have to change a variable in your equation. Jointly we put together a plan for Joanna to more or less go get more of a life so that she would instantly expand her dating marketplace. She joined a yoga class, adopted a dog and explored new bars. She also committed to going out at least 3 times a week.

I also helped Joanna build an online dating existence on two different sites and managed the process with her.

Joanna is now fruitfully dating. Her energy for it is re-engaged and she is now the one organizing girl's night out events with her friends!

The serial monogamist turned healthy dater

Women starting over

Lisa a late 20-something, ivy league MBA'er with a career that is skyrocketing and luxurious locks celebs pay thousands of dollars per year to have, not to mention has a host of winning friends, an adorable apartment and a loving family. Getting guys to commit to her, also not a problem. From the outside looking in, life is easy breezy for Lisa. Her problem though is that she stays in relationships that are no good for her months and even years after her radar detector goes off signaling that her Mr. Right is actually Mr. Wrong. With the last one her ring finger was sparkling with a big rock and she had already decided on wedding invites when that one finally fell to pieces.more

That's when I came into the picture. Together, Lisa and I laughed (and occasionally she cried) our through her relationships - 5 long term boyfriends with not longer than a week break in between. We dissected each one, talking about the highs and the lows because Lisa never gave herself the respect to look in the rear-view mirror of love and assess the learnings from each of experiences... which essentially made her feel that they were all a big waste of time and that she was a failure at love.

Lisa began to construct a list - a list of wants and needs from a man. Her non-negotiables... what was going to work for her in her co-piloted life and what wouldn't, based on her experiences. And then Lisa committed for the first time in her adult life to non-committment. To just dating for awhile - to see how she felt without having to be in what she uncovered were all codependent relationships.

She loved it! She thrived in the dating playground. I taught Lisa for the first time actually how to date in a healthy way and in the process how to value her own needs. She met wonderful men, had adventurous experiences, learned a ton about herself, and made some fabulous friends along the way.

After a year of intentional dating, Lisa is now exclusively seeing someone that I totally approve of - so far he meets all of her criteria... and I am so proud of and happy for her.